Working as a childcare educator is an incredibly fulfilling vocation. Whether you are working full-time, are looking to join the casual revolution, or have been working casually for some time, it can be a challenge to stand out from the crowd of other educators. Read on to see what traits excellent early childhood teachers have.

1) They’re Excellent Communicators

Childcare educators work and interact with children, parents, and other staff from diverse backgrounds, providing an opportunity to learn and understand a variety of cultures, lifestyles, and circumstances. To stand out as an excellent educator, you must have high-level interpersonal skills and cross-cultural competence. These traits will allow you to ensure your instructions and teaching are communicated effectively to each child, ensure parents have been briefed on any relevant information regarding their child or the centre, and prevent any miscommunications within your work team. While showing initiative and proactive behaviour is often encouraged, when working as part of a team, ensuring your communication has been clear is vital when it comes to liaising with parents.

2) They’re Passionate

Being passionate about your role is important for most roles, but even more so in childcare. It is evident, especially to children, when your passionate attitude is authentic or not — and some children will not be afraid to tell you! You can face all kinds of challenges as a childcare educator, but if you are passionate about what you do, you can make a lasting impact on the children you care for.

3) They’re Organised

Working with children can go from orderly to chaotic in a matter of moments, and a smooth activity one day does not mean it can ever be replicated. This is why stand-out educators are incredibly organised. When planning activities or lessons for the children you are working with, you should have alternate steps for each task, planning for if things go wrong. If a single step in an activity is taking longer than expected, having options that can save time elsewhere is great. This is especially important if your activity might encroach on something that the children have as a daily routine. Altogether this can contribute to a positive learning environment and keep every child on task and catered for.

4) They’re Compassionate

In any childcare setting, it is incredibly likely that you will have to deal with a range of emotions, from children and from their families too. This is where it is critical to have high emotional intelligence, as this can help you show compassion to the emotional party and help diffuse tense situations. Being able to display this emotional intelligence in stressful professional settings indicates that you are an asset to any childcare team and sets you apart from the rest.

5) They have Excellent Etiquette

Practising the correct professional educator etiquette can go a long way in making you stand out from the crowd. Etiquette can be summed up as the concept of maintaining your own professional code of conduct. It covers everything from how you dress, to your attitude, to the way you show respect to your coworkers, the children, and their families. Having excellent etiquette makes it simple to leave a good impression on your centre and the families who attend.

6) They’re Patient & Persistent

Every childcare class group is made up of diverse personalities, with each child having unique interests, needs, and wants. A patient educator is understanding of each of the children’s abilities and is able to exercise patience and let children progress at their own pace. A persistent educator is able to identify these children and adapt, trying different strategies to help the children overcome their obstacles. These two concepts in tandem help to support a child’s emotional and cognitive development.

When early childhood educators are able to demonstrate this list of traits, they clearly stand out from the crowd. These skills are critical when working as a casual educator, as they enable you to help children with their development, aid parents in understanding their children’s needs, and make you a complete asset to any team you work with.

To help you find casual childcare jobs fast, contact Z Staffing and join the casual revolution today.